News tagged with toads
New study suggests how toads might predict earthquakes
The trouble with earthquakes, other than their obvious devastation, is that thus far they have proved to be very nearly impossible to predict, despite considerable effort towards that goal; being able to do ...
Dec 02, 2011 |
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Speedy toads advance theory of evolution
(PhysOrg.com) -- Speed and the mating habits of the Australian cane toad are set to expand the theory of evolution according to research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of t ...
Mar 23, 2011 |
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Discovery: Some frogs eliminate foreign objects via their bladders
(PhysOrg.com) -- Three species of Australian frogs have been found to be able to move transmitters implanted in them to their bladders for elimination. This process appears to be a unique way of eliminating ...
Dec 09, 2010 |
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Fence tactic thwarts toxic toad
For three-quarters of a century, the cane toad has rampaged around northeastern Australia, but scientists hope the toxic terror may at last be stopped in its tracks.
Feb 23, 2011 |
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Study casts new light on research of controversial scientist Paul Kammerer
A new study into the research of the renowned Lamarckian experimentalist Paul Kammerer may help to end the controversy which has engulfed his research for almost a century. The study, published in The Journal of Experimental Zo ...
Sep 03, 2009 |
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Borneo rainbow toad seen for 1st time in 87 years
Scientists scouring the mountains of Borneo spotted a toad species last seen in 1924 by European explorers and provided the world with the first photographs of the colorful, spindly legged creature, a researcher ...
Jul 14, 2011 |
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Aussie meat ants may be invasive cane toad's Achilles' heel
Ecologists in Australia have discovered that cane toads are far more susceptible to being killed and eaten by meat ants than native frogs. Their research - published in the British Ecological Society's journal Functional Ec ...
Mar 30, 2009 |
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Toads' earthquake exodus
Common toads (Bufo bufo) can detect impending seismic activity and alter their behaviour from breeding to evacuation mode, suggests a new study in the Zoological Society of London's (ZSL) Journal of Zoolog ...
Mar 30, 2010 |
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El Nino and a pathogen killed Costa Rican toad, study finds
Scientists broadly agree that global warming may threaten the survival of many plant and animal species; but global warming did not kill the Monteverde golden toad, an often cited example of climate-triggered ...
Mar 01, 2010 |
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Probing Question: What's the difference between frogs and toads?
Frogs and toads: Are there any non-furry creatures more prominent in popular imagination? Bug-eyed and frequently slimy, beloved as well as reviled, they have hopped their way into fairy tales and urban myths, ...
Mar 26, 2010 |
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Scientists teach Australian marsupial to aid in its own survival
Ever since its arrival in Australia, the poisonous cane toad has been killing native predators such as the northern quoll, a cat-sized marsupial. Now scientists have found a clever way to save the endangered quoll: training ...
Apr 19, 2010 |
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Invasive plant protects Australian lizards from invasive toad
An invasive plant may have saved an iconic Australian lizard species from death at the hands of toxic cane toads, according to research published in the March issue of The American Naturalist. It's an int ...
Feb 22, 2012 |
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Toxic toads targeted in Australia's 'Toad Day Out'
(AP) -- For decades, the poisonous cane toad has plagued Australians, breeding rapidly, eating voraciously and bestowing death upon most animals that dare consume it.
Mar 26, 2009 |
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Warmer is better: Invasive cane toads set to thrive under global warming
As global warming threatens many animal species with extinction, the cane toad is set to flourish with increasing temperature. This is a major cause for concern as the cane toad, once introduced to Australia as agricultural ...
Jul 01, 2010 |
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Researchers turn to museums to track down clues in mysterious amphibian declines
There's a crisis among the world's amphibians -- about 40 percent of amphibian species have dwindled in numbers in just three decades. Now, museum jars stuffed full of amphibians may help scientists decide ...
May 02, 2011 |
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Toad
A toad can refer to a number of species of amphibians in the order Anura. A distinction is often made between frogs and toads by their appearance, prompted by the convergent adaptation among so-called "toads" to dry habitats. Many "toads" have leathery skin for better water retention, and brown coloration for camouflage. They also tend to burrow. However, these adaptations are not reliable indicators of its ancestry. Because taxonomy reflects only evolutionary relationships, any distinction between frogs and toads is irrelevant to their classification.
For instance, many members of the frog families Bombinatoridae, Discoglossidae, Pelobatidae, Rhinophrynidae, Scaphiopodidae, and some species from the Microhylidae family are commonly called "toads". However, the only family exclusively given the common name "toad" is Bufonidae, or the "true toads". Some "true frogs" of the genus Rana have also adapted to burrowing habitats, while a bufonid species in the genus Atelopus are conversely known by the common name "harlequin frogs". Similarly to frogs, toads also display metamorphosis from tadpole to sexually mature adult.
For more information about Toad, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
